Death of Sanity
by TheCompositionNotebook
Summary: When someone you love disappears, things get bad. But they get even worse when you're told they never existed. Follow JJ as she tries to discover the truth. Co written by the wonderful Whiitewolf.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone. We hope you enjoy this fanfic. It will be JJ centered but should contain all members of the team.**

**We own nothing except for Brandon and a few other small characters that will pop in.**

**It is co written by SpencerReidFan7 and Whitewolf200056.**

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><p>"It'll be fine." JJ reassured Brandon as she glanced over at him sitting in the passengers seat.<p>

A small smile made it's way across her face when she noticed how nervous he looked. She glanced out the window to see there were less trees now and that they were getting into town.

"We'll be there soon." She wasn't sure if that would make him feel better or worse. She hoped it would make him feel better. After all, waiting for something you're dreading happening is just terrible, and it always seems endless.

Brandon's green eyes finally turned to meet her own blues. "What would I do without you?"

"I have no idea." JJ muttered as she gave his hand a quick squeeze.

They drove in silence the rest of the way. Brandon worried about his knee surgery and JJ worried about him worrying.

JJ also pondered many things. She planned to finally introduce Brandon to her team. She had held back on that, but now that they had been dating six months it seemed pretty serious. She smirked to herself as she thought of how each member would react.

Hotch, well he'd probably just be polite when introducing himself to Brandon and would go right back to work.

Morgan, she figured would tease her a bit. After all, Morgan considered that a part of his job and he took it very seriously.

She wasn't sure how Reid would react. She was sure he'd be happy for her though.

On the thought of Rossi, she assumed he would probably act like Hotch but wouldn't leave right away and instead would chat a little.

Garcia would get all excited and start planning a wedding before there was an engagement and Emily would definitely be happy for her.

JJ had felt a bit guilty about taking the day off but Hotch had assured her it was fine. After all, how often did Jennifer Jareau take days off work? Never. She couldn't help but wonder what her team was up to today. It felt weird not being at work, but she could not deny that it was nice to spend more time with Brandon and not have to stress going through case after case.

When they finally reached the hospital Brandon hesitated before opening his door and JJ gave him another reassuring squeeze. She ran to the trunk of the car to get his crutches. He'd shattered his knee and had finally managed to get an appointment for surgery, and he was currently a nervous wreck.

JJ fought the urge to roll her eyes at his expression. He was so much like a child afraid of a needle. She grabbed his bag and moved ahead to get the door so he could get in.

Despite Brandon being on crutches, it didn't take long for them to get to the third floor where he was receiving his surgery. When they were sitting in the room Brandon seemed to calm down some.

He was perched on the bed already in the hospital gown. JJ leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek.

"Thank you for being here." He said softly.

"Any time." JJ smiled and continued to read her book as she sat in the chair.

She read silently for a few moments before Brandon spoke up. "You should go get yourself some coffee now. My doctor should be in here any minute. I'll be fine."

JJ tried to read his expression and when she was satisfied that he was telling the truth, she kissed him one more time before leaving the room.

The idea of a delicious mocha was the only thing to somewhat distract the worried thoughts JJ had as she walked down the steps, not needing to take the elevator now without Brandon there.

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><p>JJ pushed open the glass door and stepped inside the coffee shop, feeling the warm air wave hit her as she entered. She took in a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the coffee shop, the coffee, the sweet smell of caramel, and the baking pastries. It began to soothe her anxiety slightly, as she stepped into the line at the counter.<p>

JJ allowed her thoughts to wander a bit again, as she had before that day in the car. She thought of introducing Brandon to her team some more. She had decided to introduce him in a few weeks, once his knee had healed up a bit more.

She even went as far as to think about what she was going to say to introduce him, before remembering that she had a few weeks to think about it.

As she moved forward in line she started to think about how her team was doing without her for the day. She had a sudden mental image of them all running around like chickens with their heads cut off, and entertained the thought for a few moments of stopping by the BAU on her way back to the hospital.

She quickly pushed that thought out of her mind, however. She knew that she would never be able to stay for only a few minutes.

And her thoughts turned back to Brandon, nervous and alone in his hospital room, she knew that she wanted to get back to him.

_'Why did I ever agree to leave him by himself'_, she thought to herself, that bit of anxiety that had leaked out before returning. _'He was so worried...'_

The elderly gentleman in front of her finally finished his order and stepped out line, and she stepped up to the counter. She quickly ordered a white chocolate mocha from the somewhat snotty teen cashier and handed over the five dollar bill the pulled from her purse to pay for it. As soon as she got her change back she stepped over to the pick up counter next to the man who was in front of her to wait.

Her thoughts remained on Brandon.

Her anxiety must have shown on her face, because a gruff voice said, "You look very upset."

She looked up and saw that it was the man next to her. She looked into his face, a little bit of profiler coming out in her. He had snow white hair and bright blue eyes, with a pair of gold rimmed glasses and a very kindly expression on his face. He had one hand laying on the counter, and she could see a slightly tarnished wedding ring on his finger, as though he had worn it for years and years.

Deeming the man trustworthy, she said, "Yeah. My boyfriend's getting knee surgery today."

"Really?" the old man replied. "My son in law just had knee surgery a few weeks back. Had his whole kneecap shattered in a nasty car accident."

"My boyfriend had his kneecap shattered too," JJ said, interested. "Can I ask you how the surgery went?"

"Oh, just fine," he said. "They said at the hospital that the surgery wasn't very high risk, and relatively simple to perform. Just stick a few bits of wire in to bind it up, and you're good to go."

"I'm glad to hear that, it'll relieve a lot of my anxiety," JJ said.

"Unless of course, it's severe enough that he's going to have to have the entire kneecap removed," the man said. "That's a much more complicated surgery."

JJ looked up at him again, sure that her eyes must have been nearly as wide as they could possibly go, before she saw the look of humor on his face.

"Don't worry about that, it's a very rare thing," he assured her.

"You mean you can actually have your kneecap removed and still be able to function?" JJ asked him curiously.

"Yes," he said. "Some people never even get a replacement, they just live without one."

"Wow. I didn't know that was possible," JJ said, surprised. At that moment a different employee came over and set down two cups on the counter, announcing that one was a medium coffee with two shots of cream (she assumed that belonged to the man next to her), and that the other was her own mocha.

She quickly brought the cup to her lips and closed her eyes, savoring the liquid and momentarily allowing her senses to be overloaded by the sweet, caffeinated liquid. She felt instantly a bit calmer again, getting a glimpse of why Spence drank so much coffee.

As they stepped away from the counter, the elderly man said, "I know this may be a strange thing to ask somebody you hardly know, but would you like to sit down and chat a little while longer? I can tell that you've relaxed a bit since we've started talking."

"Well..." JJ said. She could think of a hundred reasons not to agree. She should be getting back to the hospital, for one. And for all she knew this guy, as elderly and fragile he seemed (at lease 70 years old), could very possibly be an UnSub. But she couldn't deny that she had calmed down considerably. And she did spot a very comfortable looking chair next to the fireplace...

"You don't even know my name, besides," the man said. "My name is Doug." He extended his hand, and JJ took it.

"I'm Jennifer, but my friends call me JJ," she said as she shook his hand. Withdrawing her own hand, she snuck another glance over to the plush and comfy looking chair. But her mind cast her once again over to Brandon, and she quickly decided against it.

"As very kind as your offer is, I think I'd better return to the hospital. I know the surgery isn't' that risky, but I think my boyfriend just might like to know that I'm there," she said.

"I would expect nothing less," Doug said. "You certainly do seem like the kind of person to do that for someone you care about. At least let me be a gentleman and escort you out to your car," he said with a smile.

"Oh, that really wouldn't be necessary-" JJ began, before she was cut off.

"I insist," Doug said firmly, smiling at her and motioning towards the door.

As strange as it was, talking with the man had cheered her up considerably. She wasn't as anxious anymore, as he gave her proof that the surgery wasn't that serious. It was nice to have someone to talk to, not about work, or reassuring about a surgery.

As they reached her car, Doug said, "I'm sure that the surgery will go alright, but would you mind if I called and found out how it went later?"

"No, not at all. That would be very considerate of you," she replied, touched that someone she had known for less than ten minutes would even care. She reached into her bag and pulled out one of her business cards and handed it to him.

"Wow, with the FBI," he said as he inspected the card. "You must be one tough cookie. I'd be glad to have someone like you by my bedside when I wake up from a surgery."

JJ wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that, so she just smiled at him and nodded her head slightly.

"It was nice meeting you, Miss JJ," he said as he began to walk away. With a final "I hope everything goes alright," he hopped into a white car and drove off.

JJ got into her own car and sat there for a few minutes, wondering why more people didn't act more like Doug. Kind and considerate towards other, willing to lend a few friendly words to someone in need of hearing them.

Taking another sip of the caffeinated drink, she placed it in the cup holder and started up her car, beginning the drive back to the hospital, most of her anxiety gone.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! Review if you'd like, more chapters to come soon! :)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, here's chapter two! We hope you enjoy!**

**And reviews are always appreciated! :D**

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><p>JJ walked through the sliding glass doors and back into the hospital, the familiar scent of cleanliness, disinfectant, and sickness invading her nostrils. She crinkled her nose a bit, like many other people, finding it one of her least favorite smells, though she didn't like it for different reasons. It reminded her too much of the victims they had seen in a few of the worse cases.<p>

She walked past the front desk and a few patient rooms over toward the elevators. She passed them up as well, instead opening the door to the stairs. She climbed up the stairs, mocha in hand, until she reached the fourth floor.

She made her way over to Brandon's room and peered inside. Brandon wasn't there, but she noticed his crutches leaning up against the wall and his overnight bag stuck in a drawer that was slightly open. The door to the bathroom was open as well, so she knew he wasn't there. Stepping back out of the room and over the nurses station, she checked the large clock hanging above it. It read 10:15.

JJ set her cup down on the counter and rummaged in her bag for a few moments, finally coming up with a few pieces of paper folded together. She shuffled the sheets around a bit, a few different print outs and tips about knee surgery that Garcia had compiled for her. She pulled out one particular sheet on which she had written the appointment times for the surgery. He wasn't supposed to go in for another 45 minutes.

She walked over to the solitary nurse sitting at the station, stuffing the papers back in her back as she walked.

"Excuse me," JJ said softly to gain the nurse's attention. "My boyfriend, Brandon is here for knee surgery. He's supposed to go in at eleven, but he's not is his room."

"Room 429?" the nurse asked, her blond curls bouncing slightly as she talked. After JJ confirmed the room number, the nurse wheeled herself over to the computer on the counter. As she moved her chair,

JJ caught sight of a name tag pinned to her scrubs that read 'Gabrielle'.

"I think..." nurse Gabrielle said slowly as she clicked around on the computer. "Yep. It looks like he was able to go in early. He went down about ten minutes ago."

"Oh...okay," JJ said softly, not sure how to feel about it.

"You're welcome to go wait in the waiting room," Gabrielle said. "It's down the hall near the elevators."

"Well, I'd like to know when he gets back," JJ said uncertainly.

"I'll be sure to send the doctor down to meet with you when he gets back," Gabrielle said with a reassuring smile.

"Alright, thank you," JJ said. She quickly grabbed up her mocha and headed towards the waiting room. It was small, filled with average waiting room chairs that weren't overly comfortable. JJ picked a chair in the corner of the room next to the one and only window and made herself as comfortable as she could.

She sat in thought for a few minutes, feeling incredibly guilty that she hadn't even been with him when he went down. She didn't get the chance to tell him that everything would be fine, or to wish him luck. JJ thought back to how nervous he had been, and how he must have felt to go down nearly an hour early without reassurance.

JJ sighed and pulled the papers back out of her bag. The notes Garcia had made told her that the surgery should take approximately an hour and a half. She quickly shoved the papers back again and pulled out the book she had begun earlier and opened it up to the right page.

It was going to be a long hour and a half.

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><p>Garcia stepped off of the elevator and walked quickly down the hallway. She opened the glass doors and walked into the BAU, catching sight of a few of her teammates. Right on schedule, Morgan appeared by her side and said, "Morning Princess."<p>

She smirked and replied with her usual, "I'll show you a good morning, Hot Stuff."

She heard him chuckle behind her as she headed towards her 'lair'.

Once she got there, she unlocked the door and dropped her coat and bag, then grabbed her laptop off the table and headed back down the hallway. They didn't currently have a case to work on, so she decided to go hang out in the Bullpen with her fellow teammates. She knew Hotch and Rossi would stay shut up in Hotch's office together and talk about God only know what, but the rest of them would all gather around Reid's desk.

As she walked up she noticed that three people, instead of the usual four, were gathered around her Junior G-Man's desk.

"Where's my second favorite blond bombshell this morning?" she asked as she arrived.

Reid looked up at her and said, "JJ's boyfriend is getting surgery today, remember?"

"Oh, that was today? I do hope everything goes okay..." Garcia muttered.

"Wait...what do you mean by 'second favorite blond bombshell?" Reid asked curiously. "Who is your favorite blond bombshell then?"

Garcia almost laughed at the expression on his face. She widened her eyes at him, then picked up a lock of her own blond hair and gave him an amused smirk.

"Oh," Reid said. After a brief silence he piped up again. "Did you now that hair color is simply the pigmentation of hair follicles? It's colored by two different types of melanin, eumelanin and pheomelanin. The levels of melanin found in the hair follicles can even vary over time, resulting in hair color actually changing? It usually happens due to aging, such as children growing out of a hair color or your hair turning gray as you get older.

"And eumelanin is actually the more common pigmentation, it even has two different subtypes, black and brown. Having high levels of black eumelanin results in black hair, while low levels result in gray hair. And with brown eumelanin, high levels result in brown hair, with low levels resulting in blond hair.

"And did you know that blonde hair is actually the most diverse color of hair, with many different variations? You can have platinum blond, golden blond, or even strawberry blond, which is the rarest, as you have to contain higher levels of pheomelanin as well as the eumelanin."

At this point Garcia looked over to Morgan and Prentiss, who were both staring at Reid with nearly identical blank expressions. Garcia was forced to stifle a snigger. Something like this happened nearly every day she spent with her team, but it never ceased to amuse her.

"Reid," she said softly, hoping to catch his attention. He seemed slightly oblivious, and was now talking about hair dye worked. "Reid!" she said again, louder.

"Yeah?" he asked. Garcia sent him a pointed look. "I'm rambling again, aren't I?" he asked sheepishly.

"Only a little," Prentiss said, a smirk making its way to her face. Morgan was shaking his head.

Reid looked around awkwardly for a few seconds before saying, "I'm going to go get some coffee."

As he stood up, Garcia said, "Oh, and feel free to help yourself to the tin of cookies I brought in yesterday. It should be sitting right next to the coffee maker."

"Wait..." Morgan spoke up. "You brought in cookies? How come we didn't learn this yesterday?"

"Because I knew you would eat them all. And I don't want you ruining that lovely rock-hard body of yours," she said, winking at him. She looked up at Reid, only to see that he was walking very quickly, already halfway through the Bullpen.

Morgan shot up like a rocket and said, "I'm sure I'll be fine!" He then jogged over to Reid, and both of them began running and trying to get in front of each other. They were nearly sprinting down the hallway, earning many strange looks from other people.

Garcia turned an amused face towards Prentiss, who was staring after the boys. "I think I'd better go make sure they don't eat all of the cookies..." Prentiss said, hopping up and speed walking across the Bullpen, nearly breaking into a run herself.

Garcia laughed loudly and put her feet up on Reid's desk, marveling at how her fully grown FBI agent friends got so excited over something like a tin of homemade chocolate chip cookies. She then opened up her laptop and logged onto the internet, deciding to win a few rounds of online poker before her teammates came back.

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><p>JJ slammed her book shut and looked up at the clock anxiously for the hundredth time. It read 1:15. She had finished her book, but didn't take in much of the ending. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was wrong. Very wrong. The surgery was only supposed to take an hour and a half at most, and yet it had been over three.<p>

Deciding to go talk to a nurse again, she gathered up her things and stood up, starching her stiff legs, then left the small waiting room. As she approached the nurses station, she noticed that nurse from before wasn't there, and there was a different nurse seated at the computer.

"Excuse me," JJ said to draw the nurses attention. Once she looked away from the screen, JJ went on. "My boyfriend went in for surgery earlier today around ten, and he still hasn't returned yet, thought the surgery was only supposed to take an hour and a half. I'm starting to get a bit anxious about where he is..." she let her voice trail off.

"No problem, I can look that up for you," the nurse said in an overly cheery voice. "Which room was he in?" she said as she clicked around on the computer a bit.

"Room 429," JJ supplied at once, anxious to know what was going on. She watched the nurse type a few more things and click the mouse a few more times. Then JJ watched the slightly irritating smile slide off of the nurse's face.

"Hmm..." the nurse said. JJ stared at her. She clicked the mouse a few more times, her expression becoming increasingly more and more confused.

"It seems that room 429 is empty," the nurse said slowly.

"No, it's not. My boyfriend was there just this morning, I dropped him off," JJ said.

"Are you sure he was in room 429?" the nurse asked.

"Yes!" JJ said at once.

"Well, he most likely had to change rooms, because of the painting. What is his name?"

"Brandon Waters," JJ said nervously. The feeling in her stomach still hadn't gone away.

The nurse then assumed a look of concentration on her face as she typed and clicked for nearly two minutes. JJ was beginning to sweat a bit.

"I'm sorry ma'am," the nurse said slowly, brow furrowed. "There's no one registered in this hospital with that name."

"... But that's impossible!" JJ said loudly. "I dropped him off this morning! I watched him check in! I helped him take his stuff to his room!"

She couldn't understand what was going on. Her head was buzzing. She was immensely confused.

Having a sudden idea, she turned back to the nurse and said, "I talked to a nurse before!" JJ said, sounding slightly more desperate than she wanted. "She told me that he had gone into surgery. Her name was...Gabrielle!"

"There aren't any nurses that work here with the name Gabrielle," the nurse said, her eyes wide.

"No! That can't be right! I know I dropped him off this morning, I know he was here, and I know I talked to a nurse named Gabrielle before! You must be mistaken!" JJ said, beginning to get slightly angry.

"Ma'am," the nurse said, her voice a bit softer than before. "There is nobody named Brandon Waters at this hospital. Now I have to go make my rounds, but if you have any more questions you can always go down to the front desk."

JJ stared after the woman as she walked away. Once she disappeared, JJ looked around herself for a few seconds, half expecting Brandon to wheel out from behind something yelling "Gotcha!"

He didn't.

JJ slowly walked over to room 429 and peered inside. It was much different from that morning. It was completely empty, no bed, no chair, not even the little chest of drawers. The only things left in the room were a few tarps scattered around the floor and a can of beige paint sitting on top of them.

JJ stepped back, away from the doorway. She looked around for a few minutes, at a loss for what to do. Then she decided that she would go down to see the receptionist at the front desk, and began to make her way over to the elevators. She realized just how frightened she was when her fingers shook as she reached out to push the buttons.

Once she made it to the main floor, she walked up to the counter, seeing a blonde receptionist stationed there.

"I'll be with you in just one moment," the woman seated in front of her said. JJ nodded nervously, and looked around her. She noticed a name plaque sitting upright in front of the woman. It looked as though it was made by a small child, and it read 'Sara'.

"Alright, what can I help you with?" the receptionist said as she turned to look at JJ.

"Well, my boyfriend came in for knee surgery earlier today and I can't seem to find where he has gone," JJ explained a bit awkwardly. "His name is Brandon Waters. I was wondering if you could look up his room number for me."

"Sure thing," Sara the receptionist said. JJ held her breath as she started typing on her keyboard. She watched with horror as the receptionist nearly mirrored the actions of the nurse from upstairs, the smile sliding off of her face and her brow furrowing. And the confused clicking and typing.

"It seems we don't currently have a patient named Brandon Waters residing here," she said slowly.

"Oh, not again! This is what the nurse upstairs told me as well! But I know he's here, I dropped him off, I helped him check in!" JJ nearly shrieked. "I went to get some coffee, and when I came back he wasn't in his room so I asked a nurse sitting at the nurses station and she said he was in surgery. So I went to wait, but it was taking way too long so I went back and the nurse I talked to then said the same thing you are now! But I left him here! I know he's here!" JJ ranted, tears of mingled frustration and fear threatening to leak out of her eyes.

The receptionist looked a bit frightened at JJ's outburst. But she wasn't the only one.

"Perhaps I can help you find him?" a voice asked from behind her. JJ turned to find a man standing there, wearing a rather expensive looking suit and a little smile.

"And who are you?" JJ asked, sounding a bit more rude than she had meant to.

"I'm Seth Matheson. The hospital administrator."


	3. Chapter 3

**We both appreciate your reviews/alerts/favourites. Keep doing all that awesome stuff guys! It's going to start to get interesting! **

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><p>JJ took a deep breath as she forced herself to appear calm. None of this made any sense. Inhaling, and exhaling one final time she finally answered the man who had appeared. The hospital administrator. That may be just the person she needed right now. Deep breaths. <em>Breath in. Breath out. <em>

"Sir, my name is Jennifer Jareau. I am an agent of the Behavioral Analysis Unit." She showed him her badge briefly before putting it back. There was no time for formal meetings. She had to know what was going on. She was worried, terrified and not ready to let this go until she got answers. She kept waiting for him to jump out and say "Boo!" Like this had all been some joke but she hated to admit that this may not happen any time soon.

"FBI Agent from the BAU... Is there a problem?" Seth raised his eyebrows.

"No. Well yes. But I'm not here on business." She tried to ignore the looks she was receiving as she shifted her weight to the other foot nervously. "I took the day off to bring my boyfriend in for knee surgery."

"Yes, that is what she told me but we can find no record of him here." Sara shook her head looking in growing confusion between JJ and Seth.

"He was here!" JJ shouted in exasperation.

"May I ask the name of the doctor he was going to see?" Seth asked her.

"Dr. Wilhelm." JJ answered. She had not needed to think about that. She remembered. She remembered everything.

When she caught the look exchanged between Sara and Seth, her heart plummeted. "What?" She demanded a little too harshly.

"Dr. Wilhelm is on vacation." Sara explained a bit rapidly as she tried to size up JJ's expression.

"What? No, that's impossible. My boyfriend had an appointment today!" Her voice was becoming shrill and her chest tightened on her due to her panic. She struggled to breathe for a moment before regaining her composure.

Her ocean blue eyes flickered to the camera in the corner. "You guys have video footage. Please, let me go over it with you."

Sara gave Seth a warning glance. He seemed to debate this a bit in his head. She wasn't on duty so he wasn't obligated to show her but if it would help to get her out of his hospital then it may be worth it.

"Right, follow me this way, Ms. Jareau."

"It's Agent." JJ muttered as she followed him down the hall.

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><p>"What was JJ's boyfriends name?" Morgan asked as he twirled around in his chair.<p>

"Brandon." Reid responded.

"Are you finished your paper work already?" Emily questioned in amusement and jealousy. She was no where near close to done. Her eyes trailed up to Hotch's office. He hadn't been down here all day.

"Yep." Morgan winked at Reid. No one had to know he had snuck Prentiss some of the files.

"Brandon. Why haven't we met him yet?" Morgan demanded. If one of his female co workers was in a relationship he wanted to know. He needed to check the guy out.

"Probably because of that." Emily remarked as she continued to write.

"Because of what?"

"Your overprotective need. JJ wanted to keep this to herself until she was sure. Besides, she's set a date for us to meet him now." Emily said, arching her eyebrows at Morgan's obvious annoyance when he crossed his arms.

"I'm not overprotective. We just know the guys that are out there." He looked over at Reid, unable to meet Emily's eyes. Why would he want to admit that she was right? He was a tad overprotective. Well if she thought this was over protective, then she should see how he was when his sister's got dates.

"I wonder what he's like." Reid said thoughtfully.

"We'll find out soon." Emily said again.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Reid gestured towards Hotch's office, Dave had gone in there awhile ago and had not returned.

"It may not even be work related. It's really none of our business." Emily replied, unable to stop herself from sneaking a glance at the closed door.

Spencer shrugged as he leaned back. It was a quiet day. There were no current cases. He was waiting for the moment that the call came in and they were out of here.

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><p>"What are these?" Seth said in confusion as he pulled out the prescription bottle from JJ's bag that had made itself visible.<p>

JJ snatched them from his hand.

"What are they?"

"They're my anti depressants. Happy?" She began to walk faster as they approached the security room to go over the camera footage. In her pace she had missed the expression that appeared on Seth's face and the Security Guard whom had began to accompany them.

"Not really." He said shaking his head, sharing a look with the Security Guard, Jordan.

Sighing, JJ leaned against the wall in impatience as she waited for them to get to the door. It was locked. Of course. She stood there fidgeting. She pulled her hair, shifted her weight, bit her lip and even her tongue. Any second taken doing this... She shivered as she thought about the horrors she witnessed every day. Every second counts.

It took all of her will power to fight the urge to run in when the door was unlocked. Instead, she forced herself to walk at a normal pace behind them. This was it. It was time to find out where Brandon had gone or who had taken him.

As she stepped in, she noticed that nearly an entire wall was nearly covered in monitors. Each one was showing a scene from various places around the hospital. She stared around at the different monitors, watching nurses and doctors scurry through the various hallways and rooms.

Jordan walked over and sat in a folding chair that was positioned in front of a monitor that was attached to a keyboard. He looked up to her and asked, "What time were you here before?"

"We got here at about quarter to nine," JJ replied, attempting to feign calmness again. They'd be able to see exactly what happened soon.

Jordan began typing furiously, and JJ assumed he was pulling up the correct time code. The thought that Garcia would probably be able to do that three times as fast ran through her mind. She nearly smiled, but the thought of Brandon stopped her.

"Which entrance did you guys come in?" Jordan then asked.

"The...the south one, I think," she answered. "It was the one off of the visitor parking lot."

He began typing again. She watched anxiously, her eyes glued to the screen. She missed the fact that Seth was staring at her with narrowed eyes.

"There," Jordan said as a picture of a hall popped up. JJ took a few steps toward it and lowered her head so that she was even with the monitor. They sat watching it for a few minutes, watching the various nurses and doctors walk by, before they saw what they wanted.

JJ watched herself show up on the screen, carrying Brandon's duffel bag. She waited for him to show up next to her, limping along on his crutches, but she remained alone, seemingly talking to someone who wasn't there.

"No...he was right next to me!" she yelled! "He was right there!"

"Let me get a different shot," Jordan said slowly. "I'll get footage from the fourth floor." He began typing rapidly again, and the picture of the upstairs hall popped up.

Once again, when she came on the screen, she appeared by herself. She appeared to be talking to herself again.

"But...he was there! I walked in with him!" she said, nearly yelling. She stared at herself on the screen, watched herself start laughing and smiling at someone next to her. But no one was there.

"I don't understand," she said, much softer than before. She raised her hand to her forehead, burying it in hair as she brushed it back. Her fear and frustration levels were continuously rising. She stood there like that for a few moments in silence, completely unaware of the looks passing between the other two people in the room.

"What about the camera on the entrance? Or on the elevator?" she asked suddenly, looking around at both of them. She distantly realized how desperate her voice sounded.

"The cameras in the elevators have been removed for repairs for the last few days," Seth answered. "And the exits don't have cameras at them, we post security guards there instead."

"How can you not have cameras on the exits!" she snapped at him. He raised his eyebrows. She took another deep breath.

"I'm sorry, I'm just frustrated, and admittedly scared," she apologized. "Could we possibly talk to the guard who was stationed there?" she asked.

"I'll see if I can get them on the phone," Seth said, pulling his phone out of his pocket and stepping out of the room. JJ was left with the security guard, Jordan. He had a slightly sour expression on his face, which JJ missed because she was staring at the monitor again.

"Are you sure there's no other camera angle?" she asked. "Any other shots?"

"No. I pulled up all of the cameras you were visible on," he said shortly.

JJ watched as the footage of her walking down the hall played again. She was now sure that something terrible had happened. Had someone actually taken him? What would she do? Her mind raced for a few minutes.

She had a sudden idea, and she pulled out her own phone. She quickly opened up a new text, and typed out a quick message to Emily. She hit the send button just as Seth walked back into the room. She looked up hopefully at him as she stuffed her phone back into her pocket.

"Well?" she asked. "Did he remember seeing us?"

"He certainly remembers seeing you," Seth said delicately. There was something about his tone of voice that made her heart start racing.

"What? What is it?" she questioned fearfully.

"He remembers seeing a blonde woman walk in at about quarter to nine this morning. She stood out particularly to him, because she was talking to herself. Acting like there was someone else with her."

"But...but..." JJ spluttered. "I...he was here! I walked him in!" She could feel tears starting to prick her eyes. "He was here," she whispered to herself.

"I'm sure he was," Seth said to her. Something about his voice made her look back up at him. He was talking slower, almost as if he was talking to a child.

JJ stared suspiciously up at him. "He was here! I did walk him in! You do believe me don't you?" she asked him. Getting no reply, she added, "Don't you?"

"Of course I do," he said, still in the same slow and gentle tone.

"Why are you talking like that?" she asked suspiciously. He slowly began to walk over to her. He was walking very carefully, almost as though he was approaching a time bomb. He gently reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Listen," he said. "I've called some people who are going to be able to help you. You're going to be safe with them, they'll take care of you."

"What do you mean by that?" she asked him, starting to feel a little bit of apprehension.

"And I'm sure you'll be very happy as well," he said, ignoring her question.

"What are you talking about?" she asked him again.

At that moment, the door to the room opened, and JJ flicked her eyes over toward it. Two male nurses, both quite physically fit, walked in. One of them was pushing a wheelchair.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry it's been so long, guys! Schedules clash sometimes! Anyway, here's chapter 4, hope you like it! Feel free to review! :)  
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><p>Reid sat back down at his desk, now holding a steaming cup of coffee. He could feel the heat through the ceramic of his coffee mug, the one Garcia bought him for his last birthday. She'd gotten a plain white mug and painted it herself. It had a blue and green polka dot pattern, and said '#1 Genius' on it in bold black lettering. He smiled as he took a large sip of the brown liquid (which was admittedly loaded with quite a bit of sugar), and set it down on his desk.<p>

He looked over to Garcia, who was back sitting with them and playing online poker again. He watched over her shoulder for a few minutes, seeing her win three consecutive hands. He was just going over the odds of her pulling off a full house in his head when she spoke up. He was so focused that he jumped.

"So my number one genius, I never asked any of you. How many of my cookies are left?"

"Oh...um, when I left, or more like escaped, those two were fighting over the last one," Reid said, pointing in the general direction of Morgan and Prentiss's desks.

"And how many did you eat?" Garcia asked him, smirking.

He looked away from her with a sort of sheepish look on his face. She could see that his cheeks were tinged pink.

"Um...seven," he mumbled into his cup, taking another sip.

"Seven?" Garcia repeated incredulously, raising her eyebrows.

"Well Morgan ate nine!" Reid responded quickly.

"You ate nine cookies?" she asked Morgan, who had joined them. He was suddenly very interested in looking through one of the drawers of Reid's desk, pulling out and examining the various pens he found.

"Prentiss ate a fair few herself," he said, attempting to shift the blame just as Reid had done.

"Did she eat nine?" Garcia asked him. Reid almost laughed at how much she sounded like a mother scolding a child.

"Well, no but-" he said, before being cut off by Garcia's stern glare."Yeah, nice try Mr. Overprotective," Prentiss said jokingly. Morgan glared at her and resumed twirling around in his chair again. She laughed and continued her paperwork.

Reid smiled to himself and reached into his bag, pulling out a hard cover book and cracking it open.

He had only read 47 pages, when he was distracted by a series of loud beeps coming from somewhere to his right. He looked up and saw Prentiss digging in her bag.

She pulled out her phone and mumbled, "Forgot to put it on vibrate." She pushed a few buttons on it, and Reid looked back to his book, intending to find his place and resume reading. But before he could continue, Prentiss yelled, "Guys...come look at this text I got from JJ!"

Reid could immediately tell something was wrong. Prentiss sounder worried and confused, and when he looked up at her she looked paler than usual.

He threw his book down on his desk and walked over to her, Garcia and Morgan on his heels. When he got there, she offered up the screen of her phone and he read the message on it.

_Emily, something's going on. I don't know what yet, but it's bad. If you don't hear from me in two hours, something happened. -JJ_

"What does that mean?" Morgan asked.

"She's at the hospital for Brandon's surgery," Emily said slowly. "Could that mean something went wrong with the surgery?"

"No," Reid said. "I think it's something bigger."

"Like what?" Garcia asked nervously.

"I don't know, but it's got to be something. JJ wouldn't contact us like that if it wasn't."

They all looked around at each other for a few moments. Reid's mind was whizzing, trying to come up with something...

"Team. Conference Room," Hotch's voice came from behind them suddenly, and they wheeled around to face him. To any outsider, he would seem perfectly fine. But they could tell that something was wrong. Something bad. He walked down the hall toward the round table room, Rossi following him, looking just as confused as they were.

They all looked at each other again, wondering the same thing. Were Hotch's sudden demand and shaken appearance and JJ's text related?

They all quickly strode up stairs and caught up to their team leader. Morgan walked boldly up to Hotch and said, "Hotch, this doesn't have anything to do with JJ, does it?"

Hotch's surprise was evident to them all, his eyebrows shooting up slightly. "What makes you say that?"

"I got a text from JJ a few minutes ago," Prentiss said. "And we can tell something's wrong."

Hotch remained quiet as he ushered them all in the Conference Room, closing the door behind them. He walked slowly up to the front of the room, standing exactly where JJ usually stood. Reid felt a sudden pang of uneasiness.

Hotch looked around at them all for a moment, then settled his gaze on Prentiss. "Would you please read out the text she sent you?" he asked. At that point, Reid could tell that something was seriously wrong. Hotch was speaking in an almost sad voice. And his left eye was twitching slightly, something that only happened in the most stressful situations.

Prentiss's fingers, clumsily shaking, fumbled over the screen until she found what she was looking for. She relayed the message in a slightly shaky voice.

Reid watched Hotch carefully as Prentiss read. Hotch began nodding slowly, finally heaving a great sigh and sitting down at the table once she finished. He rubbed his eyes for a few seconds before speaking.

"While I was in my office, I received a phone call from Lonesome Pine Hospital," he said, not looking anyone in the eye.

"That's the hospital Brandon is at," Reid supplied.

"Is Brandon okay?" Garcia asked, her anxiety clear.

"Well, that depends," Hotch said darkly.

"What do you mean, that depends?" Morgan demanded.

Hotch sighed again. "I talked to a man by the name of Seth Matheson. He's the hospital administrator."

"Why would he be calling you?" Prentiss asked apprehensively.

"He wanted to inform me that he believed that one of my agents in seemingly...mentally unstable. And he's holding her for a 72 hour psych eval," Hotch told them.

A stunned silence surrounded them all. JJ, mentally unstable? It couldn't be true, they'd all seen her every day. They talked with her, worked along side her. She was fine...right?

Reid watched all of his teammates, registering the looks of shock, disbelief, and anger cross their features. Then he watched sadness and understanding appear.

"She... she did seem a little off lately," Garcia sniffed sadly. A few of the others nodded.

"Wait...you can't honestly believe that!" Reid said loudly. "There must have been some mistake! She was fine!" The others looked at him. He could tell that they thought he was holding onto denial.

"Hotch, what happened that they decided they needed to hold her?" Reid asked the man sitting a few chairs away from him.

"Well, there is apparently no real Brandon. They believe she just made him up. And when JJ asked to see the cameras so she could probe he was real, and all she saw was herself...she became hysterical. That and the fact that they found a bottle of anti-depressants in her bag."

"No Brandon," Prentiss said quietly, her eyes wide. "She's been talking about him for months."

"Did anyone know she was on anti-depressants?" Rossi asked. They all shook their heads.

"Come on you guys," Reid said quietly. "How can you all just believe this? And give up on JJ?" He looked around at them all in disbelief. Happy go lucky JJ. The only one who called him 'Spence'. One of the only people who could always make him smile. It wasn't possible.

Morgan, who was sitting next to him, clapped him on the shoulder and said, "Stress of the job can get to anyone, kid.""No," Reid said firmly in response, standing up and nearly upsetting his chair. He suddenly felt like he had to be doing something to help her. "I think I might know what mentally unstable is like more than anyone here, and I know that JJ definitely isn't."

He glared around at them all for a few seconds before walking out of the room. He was determined to prove them wrong. And to get one of his very best friends back, her name cleared.


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay guys, here's a short chapter from JJ's perspective. Hope you enjoy, and reviews are always welcome.**

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><p>"No," JJ backed away when she spotted the wheelchair. They thought she was crazy! She took quick, short breaths as she tried to catch the eye of someone who would help her. She prayed Emily would.<p>

"I'm sorry, miss." Someone was steering her towards the chair. "Please don't make us restrain you,"

"I need to find Brandon!" JJ protested.

"We've looked up all his information, his address, social security number, all of it. He doesn't exist. The security number led us to a 22 year old girl the next state over," the nurse shook his head as JJ gasped.

She let out a startled sob as they began pushing her down the hallway. The hallway seemed endless, it was white and they went through a door that said restricted. She gulped. The first thing they did was stop by some sort of bathroom. The windows had bars, like a prison. She was given a blue outfit to wear and had to give up her gun and all her possessions. She stayed in the bathroom as long as she could, crying, praying someone would help her. Praying Brandon would be okay. She'd managed to sneak her cell phone into her bra. She gave them her extra phone. She carried two phones with her at all times. In this situation? She was grateful for that. Finally, they were pounding at the door, telling her she had two minutes before they came in. She splashed some water on her face, her make up from earlier now streaked on her cheeks. Dabbing at it quickly, she walked back outside and obediently, sat down in the wheel chair. There was only one male nurse now and he pushed her down the hall way again, she squeezed her eyes shut until they stopped again. She opened them, there was a door and it said Dr. Witherell on it.

She struggled to take breaths as she was helped to her feet. It was a psychiatrist. They were bringing her to a shrink. She flinched. She didn't dare protest as one of the male nurses showed her the restraints.

_Breathe in, breathe out._

The therapist came in. He was a tall, balding man in his forty's, she assumed. He looked at her over his glasses as he sat down, gesturing towards the red couch. She stayed by the now locked door, her expression full of fear, like a deer stuck in head lights. It took all her will power to make it over to the couch where she sat down, on the edge of the seat, as if prepared to sprint. Her eyes narrowed as she saw him take a few notes.

"Miss Jareau?" the man asked.

"Agent," she managed to mutter as her eyes began to search through the room. She saw his achievements on the wall, his certificates, it made her sick.

"Agent," he corrected himself raising his eyebrows at her. "How are you feeling today?"

"How am I feeling today?" she demanded sharply, her blue eyes, aflame with anger, finally focused on him. "My boyfriend is missing and you think I'm crazy. There's nothing more to say."

"I understand the loss was hard on you," he said softly, not flinching at the icy tone of hers.

"What loss?" she snapped as she tugged her blonde hair in her anxiety.

"Losing your fiance and child," he stated gently.

Will. Henry. That pain in her heart she felt every day when she woke up came back. She began to take shallow breaths. "That's private," she hissed.

"I understand it's been four years," he took some more notes.

"That's..." JJ had to stop and force herself to calm down as she began to hyperventilate. She glared at the therapist as he inched closer to her.

_"_Private?" he arched his eyebrows again. "Drunk driver, was it? You, however, escaped with minor injuries."

"Stop," JJ demanded as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Tell me, _Agent_ Jareau, you had to have felt some sort of guilt, something."

She jumped up, angry tears spilling down her cheeks. "I wonder every day why I was to live and my precious baby and fiance were to die. I feel guilty every day. If only I hadn't taken so long getting ready, we wouldn't have left so late and never gotten hit," she hissed, each word coming out like venom.

Finally, she sat back down, defeated, all her energy, gone.

She barely even noticed the doctor scribbling down more notes on his notepad.

"You think I invented a boyfriend because I'm lonely and can't handle admitting my loss," she said.

He didn't answer for a few moments. "I don't think you made him up for fun. I believe you honestly think he exists."

"He does!" JJ snapped.

The doctor gave her a forced reassuring smile as he made some more notes. JJ panicked a bit. She knew from experience what could happen to someone who was missing for this long. Her heart beat so hard in her chest it sounded like the beating of drums in her ear.

Trying to force herself to remain calm, she took yet another deep breath and closed her eyes. She finally opened them and looked the doctor right in the eyes.

She'd been about to speak when he got a phone call on his cell. _Remain calm._ After he'd finished, he gave her a calculated look. "Stay put, I'll be back in two minutes."

She hadn't been listening to know where he was going but she gave a curt nod as she leaned back, putting on a show of getting comfortable. The second he'd left she ran to try the door. Locked. She cursed, loudly as she checked her phone. Nothing. But...they must have told Hotch by now. Her team must have abandoned her!

_Breathe in, breathe out._ Once she'd calmed down some and focused on her number one priority, Brandon, she ran over to the window the Therapist had. She pulled the blinds back and saw it led into another room. Sizing it up, she realized she'd fit but it would be difficult. She hesitated briefly, wondering where she would start to look when Brandon's face flashed in her head. He was the reason she'd come out of her depression from losing Will and Henry and she forced the window open as she slipped through.


	6. Chapter 6

Reid stormed down the hallway, his brain flying through so much at once that even he was having trouble keeping up with it all. He heard someone come out of the conference room behind him, but he kept walking, ignoring whoever it was that was shouting his name. In that moment he was furious at his entire team, and it didn't matter who it was. None of them believed in JJ.

As he rounded the corner into the Bullpen, he felt a hand grab onto his shoulder, but he shrugged it off and muttered, "Go away." As he reached his desk he snatched up his bag, and turned towards the glass doors leading out to the elevator. But the seconds pause it took him to grab his bag was enough for his pursuer to catch him. Who ever it was grabbed both of his arms and whirled him around to face them, and Reid got his answer to who chased after him.

He was face to face with Morgan.

"What?" Reid snapped at him, staring defiantly off behind him.

"Kid, what's going on?" Morgan asked him. "You know we don't want her to have made this all up. But it's plausible that it could have happened." Reid saw a hint of emotion glint in his eyes. Sadness? Hurt? He wasn't sure.

"You," Reid spluttered. "You don't honestly think this is plausible?"

"It can happen to anyone," Morgan said gently.

Reid fixed Morgan with the fiercest glare he could muster. "Not JJ," he said firmly.

"Reid," Morgan said, his tone of voice almost pleading for him to calm down. But it just infuriated him all the more.

"JJ isn't having a psychotic break," Reid said. "I'm positive. I have a background in mental illness. I know what it looks like. I know the symptoms, the warning signs. And I've been spending way more time with her than any of you."

"What do you-" Morgan started, before being cut off.

"After Prentiss went into protective custody and we thought she was dead. I went to JJ's house so often, probably three fourth of the nights we were here. And in the aftermath of Will and Henry, I convinced her to stop by at my apartment if she ever needed anyone. And she definitely needed someone then. We comforted each other, and we made it a routine to hang out and talk. At least once a week, we still get together. So I'm going to take the gamble and say that I know her better than the rest of you. And I know she was fine," Reid ground out through clenched teeth. Morgan was looking completely shocked and bewildered. Reid took the opportunity to shrug his hands off his shoulders and began walking away.

"I'm taking a break, I'll be back later," he called over his shoulder as he strode out of the Bullpen. He stormed down the four flights of stairs and out to his car, throwing his bag in the passenger's seat as he got in. He started the car and shot out of the parking lot, perhaps going a little bit faster than was necessary.

He drove around for a while with no real idea of where he was going or where he was, just attempting to control his temper. He suddenly found himself turning into the parking lot of his favorite coffee shop, and decided that he would park and get something to drink, and it would hopefully help him calm down.

As he stepped in, he noticed that the line was thankfully very short. There was only one elderly gentleman in front of him, and Reid stepped in line behind him. He allowed him mind to drift a bit, and it landed on the last time JJ had dropped by his apartment the week before. He smiled as he remembered it.

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><p><em>Reid looked over at JJ, who was sitting on the other end of the couch. They were watching a movie, one that she had brought and insisted they watch. It wasn't really his taste, he had never really enjoyed romantic comedies as much as others, but he had agreed to watch it because he knew it would make her happy. <em>

_She was laughing at some predicament that the main character had come into, and he laughed along with her, only because it was so good to see he laugh. It had been a rough few years for her, adjusting to life without her family, but he could tell that she was finally beginning to live her life again. A few years ago, she never laughed or smiled and was close to tears. Now she had a boyfriend, and she was sitting his apartment laughing at some stupid movie with him. _

_He reached over to the little table next to the couch and grabbed the remote, pressing the pause button. JJ blinked and looked over at him. She realized he was holding the remote and asked, "Spence, why'd you pause it?" She still had a grin on her face. _

"_Because I wanted to talk about something," he replied. _

"_Okay," she said, turning her body so that she was facing him. "Shoot."_

"_Reid turned himself towards her a bit too, and he took a deep breath and said, "You're happy."_

_He saw that he had confused her a bit, as her eyes narrowed a bit and her forehead crinkled up slightly. He laughed. "You're happy," he said again. "You're smiling and laughing at this trivial movie."_

"_Oh..." she said, nodding her head a bit. "Yeah, I suppose I am happy. But why...?"_

"_Because I'm just thinking about the last few years. How bad they were for you. And now, here you are, laughing and happy. It's good to see," Reid said, smiling at her. _

"_Aw. Thanks Spence," she said, scooting over and giving him a sort of half hug. "I guess things are getting better. I'm allowing myself to move on a little." _

"_Good," Reid said, hugging her back. She grabbed the remote from his hand playfully and pressed the play button, snuggling down next to him. He smiled again. **Things are getting better. **_

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><p>He was broken out of his memory by the snotty teenage cashier asking him for his order. He quickly gave it to her and paid, stepping over to the counter to pick it up, next to the guy who had been in front of him, where his thoughts turned to where JJ was now. Probably locked up in some hospital room somewhere. That thought made his temper flare up again, and he crushed the one dollar bill that was still in his hand. He sighed in frustration.<p>

"You seem very angry about something," said a voice to his right. Reid's head swiveled over towards over towards, it seeing the man next to him looking his way. He quickly did a little visual profile. Elderly looking. White hair, blue eyes, gold framed glasses. Wearing a wedding ring and comfortable loafers. Seemingly trustworthy, though Reid knew better than to ever assume that someone was trustworthy based on looks.

"It's nothing, just some trouble at my work," Reid said evasively.

"I'm sorry to hear that," the man said kindly. "Where do you work?"

"The FBI," Reid said firmly, staring over determinedly. This guy was starting to get on his nerves a bit, the aura he was giving off was freaking him out just a bit. But he just brushed it off as paranoia. He was stressed out right at that moment.

"Oh, wow!" the man said. "That's really cool. What is it, trouble with a case you've got to work on or something?"

Reid let out a small derisive laugh. "You could say that," he muttered as his coffee cup appeared on the counter in front of him. He snatched it up and took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar and comforting scent.

"This may be a strange request of someone you just met, but would you like to sit and talk a bit? I've been told I'm a good listener," the man said.

Reid stared at him for just a moment. It was a strange request, one that a few his FBI instincts denied immediately. He didn't even know this guy's name.

"Sorry, um, what did you say your name was?" he asked.

"Oh, pardon my manners!" the man said immediately. "I'm Doug." Reid shook his out-stretched hand a bit apprehensively.

"Well, I'm sorry Doug, but I really have to be getting back to work. I'm on break right now," Reid said, giving himself an iron clad excuse.

"Oh, that's a shame. But I suppose there's no avoiding work, is there?" Doug said. Reid just smiled in response. "It's good to have met you anyhow, Spencer."

"Good to meet you too," Reid said as he stepped away from the counter and out the door. He hopped back into his car, now with a little plan in his head. He just needed Garcia's help,and he knew she would agree to help him. He was so pleased and excited about having a plan that he was a block away from the coffee shop before he realized that he had never introduced himself to Doug.

Yet Doug had called him by his first name.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! We're back! :D**

**Sorry for the wait. But stuff happens sometimes. The important thing is that you can now go read chapter seven. So go do that! **

**Reviews are appreciated. :)**

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><p>JJ slowly lowered herself down, feeling for the floor with her foot. Once it connected she allowed herself to drop down to the ground. She attempted to look around at where she was, but found her surroundings to be pitch black. She quickly reached into her pocket and produced her phone, turning the screen on and pointing it around. The dim light illuminated a few shelves, filled with what seemed to be cleaning supplies.<p>

She noticed a thin cord hanging from the ceiling, and she reached out and pulled it, filling the tiny room with light. It was a sort of janitor's closet, filled with mops and brooms and things of the like. She looked at her phone again, hoping for some sort of response from Emily. There was none. She almost kicked out at a bucket, before realizing that it would make quite a loud noise and that someone would certainly find her.

Her frustration levels were rising higher with every second. First she's told Brandon never existed. Then she was shown the cameras that were obviously tampered with to hide him. And then they had the nerve to call her crazy and try to get her examined. And why hadn't Emily responded? The sickening thought that they had gone off on a case and she had gotten hurt planted itself in her mind, and she quickly shook her head, trying to stay positive. Though she didn't know how she could.

Maybe Emily's phone was just out of battery? Maybe she lost it? She decided to try and contact someone else from her team, and she quickly dialed a number she knew well on her phone. It rang several times before it was answered.

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><p>Reid walked determinedly back into the BAU, avoiding his teammates. He didn't want them to know that he was back yet. If he was going to get any work done on the little plan he had formed, he had to leave his teammates out of it. For now, at least.<p>

He thankfully saw that none of his teammates were in the Bullpen, and he gratefully walked through it with ease. He managed to make it all the way through undetected, and began walking down the long hallway leading towards Garcia's office.

He was just walking past a bathroom when his phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it out, expecting it to be Hotch asking him where he was and demanding he return to work, but it wasn't. It was JJ. He promptly dropped his phone in surprise. He scrambled after it, picking it up and answering quickly so it didn't go to voicemail.

"JJ!" he exclaimed immediately, stepping into the bathroom and locking the door behind himself.

"Hey Spence," came the voice from the phone. He could tell immediately that she was afraid. Her voice sounded scared and almost child-like. He winced at it, wishing nothing more than to help her.

"JJ, what's going on? How are you calling me?"

"I escaped. From this psychologist person they had me talk to. I'm hiding in a supply closet right now," she answered, whispering.

"Oh my god, JJ. Are you okay?" Reid asked her desperately.

"They think I'm crazy, Spence. They actually think I'm crazy. They restrained me in a wheelchair and everything!" she said back. He could tell she was starting to cry a little bit.

"JJ, it's going to be okay. I'm going to get you out of there. You don't belong to be locked up, you're perfectly fine."

"Thanks," she said miserably. Reid could hear her sniff a little bit, and it just strengthened his desire to help her. "Hey, did Emily ever get my text from before?"

Reid sighed. He didn't want to have to tell her. But he plunged on anyway and said, "Yeah, she… she did."

"So are you guys all working on getting me out? I can't stand everyone looking at me like I'm nuts, and I don't know how much longer I can hide for!"

"I'm working on it JJ," he said quickly. "I'm going to get you out."

"But what about the others?" she asked. Reid could hear the suspicion mingled with desperation in her voice.

"Um… no. Just me. The others didn't believe me when I told them you weren't crazy. They said it could happen to anyone," Reid admitted. He could hear her groan, and it made him a little angry again. "But I'm going to get to the bottom of this. I won't let you stay there."

"Thanks Spence. Listen, I've got to go. I think that psychologist is coming back, he's going to know I'm gone," she said quickly. Reid groaned, wishing with all his heart that she would stay on the phone with him, not wanting to lose contact with her.

"Okay," he said unwillingly. "But call me anytime, alright! Anytime! I'll always answer."

"Thanks," she said again. He could almost hear her smile a little. As the phone line went dead, he slowly took his phone away from his ear, holding it and just staring at it for a few minutes. His rage flared up again and he kicked out at nothing in particular, his foot connecting solidly with a sink. Ignoring the now throbbing pain in his toe, he set out for Garcia's office once more, now even more determined than before.

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><p>JJ shoved her phone back in her pocket, looking around frantically. She could hear the psychologist through the little window calling her name. She quickly began rooting around, trying to find anything that could help. She produced a pair of extra scrubs and smiled in relief. That would be a perfect disguise.<p>

She changed into them quickly and deposited her clothes back into the drawer she pulled the scrubs out of, not wanting to leave any evidence that she had been there. She tucked her phone safely into the pocket of the scrubs and prepared herself to walk out of the closet. She attempted to look calm and like she totally belonged as she opened the door. A few people looked at her strangely as she came out, but she ignored them, instead focusing on just getting out of the hospital.

Walking quickly towards where she knew the closest exit to be, she had to fight the impulse to sprint down the hallway screaming. As she rounded the corner to the exit, she allowed a smile to grace her features in relief. She began walking even faster, before stopping dead in her tracks.

Seth, the hospital administrator, came walking out of a hallway near the door talking to the psychologist. She froze for a second, before cursing under her breath and turning around and walking away from the exit again. She opened the first door she came to, finding a staircase, and she ran down it.

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><p>He had watched her walk out of the little closet, amused at her anxiety. She had walked all the way down the exit, before she was stopped by his cohorts. He laughed out loud at the way she froze in her tracks and the expression on her face as she turned around. He saw her desperately fling a door open and disappear through it. Just the door he wanted her to go through. He had set traps for her there.<p>

He made eye contact with his two associates, grinning evilly at them. They smiled back, and the taller of the two nodded at him. He nodded back and followed the blonde woman down the stairs, eager to carry out their plan.

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><p><strong>Well, that's a thing that happened! What did you think? Click that little button and let us know! :D<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

JJ forced herself to take a deep breath as she struggled to come up with some sort of plan. Her thoughts began to consume her. _No, _she told herself. _I will not be distracted. _She was almost there, only a few steps remained at the end of the staircase. Her body shook with silent sobs as she willed herself to keep going. _Don't think about this now. _The words the psychiatrist said echoed inside her head. _How dare he?_ She silently seethed. Thinking he knew her. As if. Bringing up Will and Henry like that. _Will and Henry._ That wound she'd worked so long to close was now opening again because of this damn situation and that damn psychiatrist. He knew nothing about her. _Nothing! _

Biting down on her lip, she willed the tears that threatened to flow to go away. She didn't want to be reminded of it. Of that day, the day that changed everything. The day that turned her entire world upside down.

_It had been just like any other day. She'd kissed her precious baby goodbye. Though he was no longer a baby, he was talking, walking and even getting into trouble. He was still her baby. Her Henry. She'd promised she'd return soon. She'd even given Will a hug, like every other day, despite the fact they'd had a terrible fight the night before. This was something she was grateful she'd done, despite her anger. She'd even given him a quick kiss, promising they'd talk when she returned home. There was a hint of a smile on his lips though it never quite reached his eyes._

_Her day at work had been relatively calm, relatively normal. Reid had practiced his 'physics' resulting in a scolding look from Hotch and amused laughs from Emily and Morgan, Emily had complained about men, Garcia had convinced her and Emily to go shopping the following week. It was all so normal, even down to Rossi and Hotch arguing about their coming soccer game for their team. Even down to Morgan teasing Reid about his new haircut. It was all so normal. There wasn't a warning about what was coming. No sign that told her that her family's lives were mere hours away from ending._

JJ somehow managed to force herself to take calming breaths; it lasted a few short moments before it all hit her again.

_The day had continued on, they'd consulted with a few police stations on the phone about current cases. JJ continued to work at strengthening her profiler skills. Reid was slowly forgiving her for her deception. They even arranged to go out for coffee. The day had been a bit longer than usual as her thoughts had been absorbed with the fight that had happened. They were engaged and Will was growing impatient with her putting off the wedding. It was then she decided the wedding was going to happen. She'd decided. Three months from now, in July, they'd have their wedding. _

_With thoughts of making it up to Will, she'd consulted with Emily and told Garcia. Garcia was so excited, making plans left, right and center. JJ had gone home with lifted spirits. The smile on her face had even managed to put one on Will's. They'd decided to go for a drive, that simple drive... to celebrate. With Henry in tow in the back seat, she'd told Will her plans and the date. The smile on his face brought tears of joy to hers. _

_"One condition," she had said with a small laugh._

_"Anything for you," Will said as he faked worry at this 'condition' of hers. _

_"A beach wedding. I want a beach wedding," JJ smiled as she leaned back in the seat. _

_"A beach wedding," Will stated. It wasn't a question but a confirmation and he leaned over to kiss his bride to be as they went through the green light. The terror in JJ's eyes alerted him and he'd turned, too little too late, to see the bright, flashing white light coming at him from his side. A drunk driver had run a red light. He looked back over at JJ, fearful for her and his son and that's when everything had gone black. _

Sharp breaths now caused JJ to come close to hyperventilation as she lived through the worst day of her life. The so seemingly normal day. The guilt. If only she hadn't put off the wedding so much, they wouldn't have gone out to celebrate that night. She leaned against the rail of the stair to steady herself.

_Her blue eyes had opened, the pain in her head causing her eyes to flutter as she forced them to remain open. _

_"Oh, thank god, JJ," Emily's voice rang out in her ear. JJ barely noticed as Emily ran to the door of the room and told the team. Within seconds, she was crowded by her concerned team; Garcia's sobs the only sound in the painful silence. _

_"Will? Henry?" JJ asked while the memories hit her. The accident. They'd been in an accident. _

_She felt the warm hands of Emily's touching her cold ones and she knew. It was written in their eyes, but she needed to hear it. _

_Emily shook her head as she squeezed JJ's hands. "Oh sweetie, I'm sorry." _

_JJ blinked again, while the tears fell down her face. She saw the pain on Hotch's face and knew that while the others sympathized with her, he was empathizing with her. This didn't help her. Somehow, she managed to swallow. _

_"JJ?" Reid's concerned voice asked her. _

_None of their words reached her, it was all a blur. A dream, it couldn't be real. They couldn't be..._

_"No!" JJ screamed, the hysterics hitting, the tears falling quickly and her body beginning to shake. She closed her eyes and opened them to see the doctor coming in, her team gone. They weren't gone. They couldn't be. _

"No!" JJ screamed out loud as she forced herself up on the railing, trying to make the last steps down. Instantly, she knew that was a mistake and she forced herself to quiet her breaths to hear if any footsteps approached, having heard her outburst. Blinded by her tears, she continued the descent. She had to find Brandon. He was the only one able to numb this pain.


	9. Chapter 9

**Alright, chapter nine! We hope you guys are still liking it, and feel free to leave reviews! Reviews are good! :)**

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><p>JJ found herself on flat ground again, and she quickly wiped off her eyes. After a few more calming breaths she managed to start moving forward. She tried to move her mind back to the present, to Brandon. She had to find him. He existed. She had to get out of this infernal hospital and get back to him.<p>

She looked around the darkness, waiting for her eyes to adjust and for her hands to stop shaking. She reached out and found one of the walls, slowly walking forward and using the wall to guide her. Her fingers ran into something jutting out of the wall, and she quickly identified it as a doorknob. She slowly turned it and opened the door, still seeing nothing but darkness inside. After a few very tentative steps, something very thin hit her forehead.

Her nerves being so strong at the moment, she immediately ducked and swung out at whatever it was. She grabbed onto it and slowly came to the realization that it was just a light cord. She let out a little sigh of relief, scolding herself for being so on edge. She had to treat this just like she was on a case; she had to stay cool and calm.

JJ gently pulled on the cord, harsh light hitting her eyes. She squinted against it for a few seconds, her still slightly damp eyes starting to water again. Once she was able to see a bit, she looked up and saw something very strange. The room looked like it was storage, with some old chairs stacked up against the walls. But someone had dragged one solitary table directly into the middle of the room.

And stranger yet, someone had laid things out on it, things that would certainly help her right at the moment. A flashlight, a granola bar, a bottle of water, a zip up sweatshirt, and even a small pocket knife. She slowly looked around the room again, wondering why the things she might need were all just there for her. She assumed it had to be some sort of trap for her or something. What were the odds they would just be there?

Her stomach gave a loud grumble, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since that morning. She delicately picked up the granola bar, examining it to make sure it wasn't poisoned or anything awful like that. Deeming it to be alright, she ripped the wrapper off and gave it one last sniff, before hungrily beginning to eat it. She examined the water, deeming it to be safe as well and taking a few sips. She moved over to the flashlight, flicking it on and off a few times to see it work. She inspected it, too before deciding that it was safe to use.

The sweater she looked over and then pulled on, as it was quite cold in the drafty basement. She then turned her attention to the pocket knife. What was she going to do with that? Why had someone left it there, assumingly for her to find? She fingered it where it lay on the table, pulling out the blade and looking at it. It was then that it hit her.

It wasn't just any pocket knife. It was _Brandon's _pocket knife. The one she had just bought him for their anniversary. The one that she had gotten engraved for him.

That was it. He must have been down here at some point; he had carried the knife with him ever since she had gotten it for him a few weeks ago. He had protested when she had given it to him, saying it was much too expensive and that she really didn't have to get him anything like that. But she had insisted that it was no problem, and he had agreed to carry it with him.

_And yet here it is, sitting on a table all by itself, no Brandon in sight, _she thought desperately. She fingered the small letters on the blade, tears almost threatening to overwhelm her again for a few seconds. But she took another deep breath and pocketed the knife, grabbing the flashlight and water bottle, setting back out into the hallway.

She switched the flashlight back on and began to make her way down the long hall, thinking. His pocket knife was in this basement. He had to be in this basement. For a few seconds she debated calling out, but she quickly realized that that would be an incredibly stupid move.

And then, very suddenly, she was falling. Something had tripped her, and she was pitched head first towards the ground. And somehow, out of nowhere, a bright shower of sparks was sent down towards her.

She managed to catch herself before she fell, though it was a close thing. She had thrown her hand out wildly, and she had managed to catch onto a doorknob off to her left. It had jerked at her shoulder slightly, and she winced as she dropped the flashlight and her other hand came in contact with the floor.

She quickly righted herself, rubbing at her now sore shoulder and grimacing. She suddenly smelled something burning, and with horror she realized that the sparks that had just flown down at her had ignited the leg of the scrubs she was dressed in. She started to feel the heat against her skin, and she froze for a fraction of a second before flinging herself down and wildly picking up the water bottle she had thankfully brought with her. She quickly screwed open the cap and poured the water over her leg, sighing in relief as the flame went out.

She lay against the wall for a few seconds, catching her breath, before she started checking her leg. She had a pretty large burn on her calf, though it wasn't very serious. She stood up again, testing her leg to see if she could stand on it. To her pleasure, it didn't bother her all that much, and she didn't even walk with a limp as she made her way over to the flashlight, which had rolled across the floor.

She made her way back to where she had tripped; shining the flashlight around to see if she could find out what she had tripped over. It quickly became clear to her that she had tripped over a trip wire. Which was rigged up to an electrical circuit hooked up near the ceiling, obviously able to shoot sparks down when activated.

So there were traps for her down here. She smiled grimly. That must mean that there was something down here that someone didn't want her to find. Brandon, perhaps? She decided to keep moving, but walked much more carefully now, checking the ground every few feet.

Up ahead a ways, she suddenly spotted a light shining out of one of the rooms. The door was open just a crack, enough for a sliver of light to escape. She carefully approached it, checking every inch of the floor and the walls in front of her as she went. Finally reaching the door, she felt her FBI training kick in. She pushed open the door quickly, looking inside and scanning the room. Finding it empty, she began to move inside, but her progress was quickly stopped by something swinging down towards her. It looked like… a knife? Taped to a single crutch?

Thankfully, her reflexes kicked in again and she was able to dodge it, though she ended up bumping into a large pile of what looked to be old medical equipment. It all went cascading to the floor with a loud bang, and she winced at the noise. She looked back to the crutch and nearly laughed at how absurd it looked, though she realized that had she not moved she most likely would have been stabbed in the chest. She was just turning back to the clutter now all over the floor, when she heard something that stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Hello? Is someone there?" a voice called through another door on the other side of the room. But not just any voice.

"Brandon?" she asked wildly, almost not daring to believe it.

"Jaye? Is that you?" he asked back, sounding relieved. JJ almost burst into happy tears right then. She kicked everything on the floor out of her way, running over and flinging that door open. He was sitting inside a small room, and he had been restrained. There were ropes around his arms, legs, and torso.

"Oh my god," she breathed out, immediately beginning to rush over to him. But she was suddenly stopped by something quite heavy smashing down on the back of her head. She fell again, though this time it was almost in slow motion. She wanted to turn around and see what had hit her, but blackness was starting to creep around the edges of her vision. She instead stared at Brandon, who was… still smiling? Before she knew anything else, the blackness totally obscured her vision and she fell into unconsciousness.

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><p><strong>Uh oh... little cliffhanger. What did you guys think? Let us know! :D<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello fellow readers! We're coming up to the end! I hope you guys have enjoyed this story and I would love to hear your thoughts on what we've done so far. We've decided on 2-3 more chapters following this. And then stay tuned! We'll be co-writing another fic together, unrelated to this one.**

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><p>"Brandon?" JJ called out as she opened her eyes. <em>Oh god, <em>she thought. The pain in her head was excruciating. She had to blink several times to keep her eyes open.

"You're awake," said the young doctor on her left. He gave her a friendly smile. "You've suffered a concussion. Definite need of rest."

It took a few minutes but JJ managed to figure out where she was. Still in the hospital. She was in a hospital bed attached to an IV. What had happened? Who had hit her? This was all so overwhelming. _He was tied up. He's still alive but he needs me! _Quickly she began sitting up and trying to search around for her clothes. She was in pain everywhere. "Clothes," she muttered.

"Sit back down," demanded the doctor staring at her with concern. "You have a pretty bad concussion. You should absolutely not be moving around. Not to mention the obvious damage you've done to your leg."

"There were traps!" JJ exclaimed. "Someone set me up to get hurt!"

The Doctor shook his head. "We found you out in the parking lot, I can assure you there were no traps."

"But,"

"No buts. Dr. Witherell will be in to see you shortly."

JJ froze, that was the psychiatrist. Her mind was screaming but she nodded. She had to act calm so he would leave. Which would give her the time to get away and find Brandon.

"Rest now," the doctor said as he walked out.

JJ briefly wondered what his name was before snapping to action. She was just about to get out of bed when that man walked in. The one from the coffee house. Doug?

"Hey there," he smiled at her holding out the flowers he'd bought.

"They're beautiful," JJ said forcing a smile. It was kind of him but she really needed to get out of there.

"I thought you might like them," he said with a shrug. "Your favorite flower is lilies, right?" He continued to smile at her.

That caused JJ to freeze; she focused her gaze on him. "How do you know that?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"Brandon told me," he said casually as if it was no big deal.

"Brandon told you? What? How?" JJ demanded her voice breaking up and bordering on hysteria. "Do you know him?" Or are you involved, she thought quietly to herself.

"Shh," he said soothingly while he looked around carefully before pulling out his phone to show JJ a picture. It was Brandon, bound like he'd been in the basement. There was blood on his head.

"How did you get that? What is going on?" she cried out. Her entire body trembled in hysterics and she fought back frustrated sobs. This couldn't be happening, not to her. Nor to Brandon.

"Really, if you don't calm down, he won't live much longer." The old man rolled his eyes as if it was no big deal.

Forcing herself to take a few deep breaths, JJ turned to him. "What do you want?"

This man, this innocent looking old man knew about Brandon. It could only mean he was involved. How had she not seen it?

"One million dollars," he said as if challenging her to deny she had the money.

"How am I supposed to do that, go to a bank?"

"Oh no, we're not risking you leaving this building. Email transfer, I know you've done it before. It is after all, how you got the money. And I don't have to tell you if you tell anyone, he's dead. Not that they'd believe you anyways." He handed her a note, it appeared to have account information on it. "This is where the money is going."

She flushed red with anger. She'd received the money because her father had passed away. "Just where am I going to get a computer?"

"Figure it out, you have one hour to get back down to the basement," Doug informed her while he stood up and walked out of the room. Before he left, he turned back to her and said "oh, and hope you like the flowers."

JJ felt her eyes fill up with tears. How had this happened? How did anyone know she came into the money? She fought the urge to sob. She was unable to find her clothes and had to go searching in the hospital gown.

Getting by the desk was tricky. Luckily for her, the secretary left to fill her coffee. Her heart hammered in her chest the entire time, the nerves threatening to stop her from completing her task. A part of her wanted to use the computer the secretary had left, but it was in the wide open. Doctors were constantly walking by and she would be back soon. She needed something private... Then it hit her. The psychiatrist. He'd had a computer. He was coming to see her; she'd just wait for him to leave.

It took her longer than she'd have liked to get there. She kept having to try and dodge cameras and people. Her anxiety increased the longer it took. She had so long to get there. The second she saw the door, despite the need to be quiet and careful she ran towards it. It didn't take long to see the door was locked. A frustrated growl escaped her lips.

_Think, JJ, think. _The window. Where she'd escaped.

Luckily, she made it there without incident and very luckily, she was able to get in. Her luck was still going strong when she got to the computer and he was still logged on. She didn't need a password.

Her heart pounded in her ears as she listened for approaching steps. If she was discovered... Having broken in somewhere... There was no hope left for her.

Her fingers trembled so much she had a hard time typing. The keys clicked nosily while she typed. She tried to type slower but it didn't make a difference. In the quiet, empty room... They boomed.

A few times she'd heard footsteps and had frozen up, prepared to run. But they appeared to go passed the office. Her eyes kept trailing to the time; she only had fifteen minutes left. It shouldn't be so complicated to transfer money. At last, she was done. _Inhale, exhale. _

"Brandon," she whispered not wasting her time to get out of there. She had to find him. She had to get there.


	11. Chapter 11

**Here we go! Chapter eleven! Things are gonna start happening soon!**

**Hope you guys like it! Reivews are always appreciated!**

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><p>Reid stormed triumphantly into Hotch's office, ignoring the look of surprise that was sent his way. Garcia followed after him timidly. Reid slammed a file folder down on Hotch's desk.<p>

"There. I told you. She isn't crazy," Reid said firmly.

"Reid. We're not going to start this again. It could happen to anyone," Hotch stated, obviously exasperated.

"No! Look in the folder! Ask Garcia!" Reid exclaimed angrily. Hotch raised his eyebrows before turning to the tech analyst.

"Garcia?" he asked her. She was being unusually silent, and hanging around in the back of the room, which was very unlike her.

"Yes, sir. I suggest you take a look," she said quietly.

Hotch looked back and forth from Reid to Garcia for a moment, before reaching out for the folder. Flipping it open, several papers and pictures fell out onto his desk. He picked up the top picture, seeing that it was of JJ and another man holding hands and walking into a restaurant. The next one was of JJ and the same man entering her apartment building, looking very comfortable and in love. Then one of them in a car together, parked outside a building, kissing.

He skipped over to the papers, finding JJ's financial records, which included charges to a pharmacy and to a therapist's office. And behind that, there was a rap sheet for a man named Brandon Whitley. It included previous offenses for fraud and assault. Attached was a picture of a rather pretty young girl with bruises all up and down her arms and chest, and a long bloody gash running along her cheek.

Hotch noticed with a small pang that the picture of the criminal who had attacked this girl so viciously matched the the pictures of the man that JJ had been photographed with.

"She's not crazy," Reid said again. "Brandon is real, and from what we found he doesn't look like a very safe guy."

Hotch sighed and stared down at the picture of JJ entering her apartment with this guy. He had his arms around her waist, and she was laughing. He was suddenly filled with something remarkably like rage. This man, who had beaten a different girl so mercilessly, with JJ?

"Did she know about his previous charges?" Hotch asked, grinding his teeth slightly.

"No. She didn't even know that was his real name," Garcia spoke up. "He told her his name was Brandon Waters."

Hotch slammed down the pictures and grabbed his phone, dialing the number for the therapist that JJ's records said she had attended. He knew the number by heart, seeing as this therapist was one of the few that the Bureau recommended to victims.

The receptionist answered, and she had him immediately patched over to Doctor Sharpe's personal phone, and after a few more rings she answered, sounding jovial.

"Aaron! How are you? What's up?"

"Hello, Alex. I've got a problem with one of your clients," he said, not able to stop his voice from sounding a bit gruff.

"You know I have to follow patient confidentiality," she said warningly, and Hotch started to rub his temple a little. Reid and Garcia were listening interestedly, so he put the phone on loudspeaker.

"I know. But you've been seeing JJ," he stated. He wasn't asking her. She took a few moments to get over the initial shock and answer.

"Yes. I have," she said, a bit stiffly.

"I'm not asking you to reveal anything you talked about. I just want to know her condition. She may be in trouble," he said pleadingly.

"As for her mental condition, she's depressed. I've had her on anti-depressants for a while now. But other than that, she's completely fine."

"No delusions?" Reid asked, speaking up.

"Doctor Reid? Is that you?" Alex asked.

"Yes, it's me. Would you answer the question?" he said, a bit impatiently.

"Alright," she said, sensing his frustration. "No. No delusions or anything of the sort. She's mentally stable."

"Thank you," Hotch said quickly, hanging up the phone rather abruptly.

"She's not crazy," Reid said again, staring down his team leader. Hotch couldn't help but feel slightly ashamed for not believing sooner.

"I know," he agreed finally.

"Did the hospital even check with Doctor Sharpe before they committed her?" Garcia asked, receiving silence as an answer.

Hotch stood up and left his office, descending into the Bullpen. Emily and Morgan were nowhere to be seen, and looking up into Dave's office, saw it empty as well.

"Come on. We're going to go to the hospital and talk to them," Hotch said, walking towards the doors to the elevator, Reid quickly grabbing his bag off his desk and following.

"Sir? Can I come?" Garcia asked frantically, following the two agents.

"Fine," Hotch said quickly, stepping into the elevator, and Garcia ran in as well.

They piled into one of the FBI issued SUVs, and Hotch drove them to the hospital, perhaps a bit quicker than was necessary.

"First things first," he said as they walked into the building. "We need to go talk to JJ."

After Reid and Garcia agreed, he walked up to the front receptionist. "Excuse me; we need to talk to Jennifer Jareau. Could you tell me where we could find her?" He didn't flash his badge yet, saving that for if things proved to be difficult.

The receptionist, whose name was Sara, Hotch noted from the small child made name plate sitting in front of her, smiled at him and said, "Sure. Just one minute."

She started searching on the computer, and the three agents stood impatiently. She was unaware of their impatience, however, taking her time. Hotch heard Reid sigh exasperatedly next to him, and was about to ask her if she could speed up, when she said, "It looks like Ms. Jareau was placed in room seven thirteen earlier this morning."

"Thank you," Hotch said, and he walked quickly over to the nearest elevators. They took the long ride up, stopping on three separate floors before they finally got the right one. They quickly extricated themselves from the nurses and family members, Hotch fixing his rumpled jacket as they followed the signs on the walls to room seven thirteen.

Finally finding it, Reid nearly ran into the room. Garcia went after him, and Hotch followed. What he saw surprised him.

The room was empty. A worried Reid was just walking out of the bathroom, shaking his head. "She's not in the bathroom."

Hotch walked over to the bed, seeing that the covers looked like they had been thrown off quickly. There was an IV sitting next to the bed, and it was ominously dripping medicine onto a puddle on the floor.

"Hotch? Where is she? What happened?" Garcia asked fearfully, lip quivering.

He ran his hands through his hair for a few seconds before turning to look at his two friends, trying to remain calm. But he wasn't successful. Panic started to rise up inside him, and he was forced to answer with a slightly shaky voice.

"I don't know. But it can't be good."


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's note: Just one more chapter to go after this one! Thanks for those that have read, alerted, favorited and reviewed the story!**

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><p>"You made it," an amused voice told her as she reached the last stair.<p>

She felt a sudden chill as she walked into the room, full of determination. JJ held her hand up above her eyes to shield herself from the bright light from the flashlight, oh god how it made her head hurt. But that was the least of her worries.

"Let Brandon go," she demanded, walking forward. Strangely, her voice didn't shake and it held a note of authority. She'd made it down to the basement which had a door leading to the underground parking. There in front of her stood that old man, Doug. Beside him was Gabrielle, the nurse that had taken Brandon that morning, and Seth the hospital administrator. And of course, Brandon, his hands tied behind his back, arm in Seth's grip.

"Do you have the money?" the girl asked. She'd never noticed before but the girl had a high pitched voice that grated her ears. The girl then laughed. "I'd hate to have to kill this handsome man you got here," she said holding a knife out to Brandon.

"Just give it to them, JJ, please," Brandon pleaded with his voice full of pain.

JJ had a hard time looking at him, the blood all over him... She let out a shaky breath. "All it takes is one click, the money is ready to go," JJ told them holding up the cell phone. Despite her obvious fear, her hands were steady. She held her head up, ignoring the pounding pain.

The girl looked at her suspiciously before noticing on the screen that the phone was in the middle of a transfer. The blonde was telling the truth. The money was so close to them. So close to being theirs.

"Let Brandon go, and I hit the button," JJ said her voice full of rage. "If not, I smash the phone and you'll have all wasted your time."

"Then you'll die," hissed the 'nurse.'

"And you won't have the money," JJ snapped, her blue eyes flashing in frustration.

She'd expected an argument. Expected them to say that she had to send the money first... But to her surprise, Brandon's hands were cut loose. Her breath had caught in her throat when Seth pulled out the knife, but Brandon had been cut loose. Nothing more.

Tears filled her eyes as he limped towards her. "Brandon?" she asked concern evident on her face. The tears now flowed freely down her face.

"JJ," he called out stumbling onto the floor.

She didn't hesitate she ran towards him, kneeling down to stroke his head. "How badly are you hurt?"

"Not," he said insistently.

"Don't lie to me. Now is not the time to play tough, Brandon." JJ ignored the other three. Had she been not so worried about Brandon she may have found it suspicious how they hadn't demanded she send the money straight away.

"I'm not lying," he said turning to smile at her. Before JJ had a chance to respond he'd hit her straight across the face, the phone flying out of her hands.

"Brandon, what?" JJ asked in confusion, terror creeping onto her face. "Why did you do that?"

"You should have transferred the money quickly. I hate waiting," he said impatiently, his brown eyes glaring into hers.

"You, what? No..." JJ said realization dawning on her. He was involved. Brandon was involved...

"Sorry," he said not sounding sorry at all. "It's what we do," he laughed now smirking.

"You're con artists?" JJ asked in complete bafflement.

"Yes, and we figured you'd be a challenge, being an FBI Agent Profiler and all but your profiler instincts didn't pick up on anything. You were too desperate to be in a relationship," Brandon remarked, amused at the expression on JJ's face. "I mean, I was so relieved that you didn't bring me to visit your friends. Sure, I'm good at what I do, but around that many profilers? Someone may have noticed something off with me. After all, you have a tech friend and my name isn't even real."

JJ mentally cursed herself for being too afraid to introduce Brandon. "But, why?"

"Because you have money," Brandon said with a shrug as if it was an appropriate reason. He then walked over to the 'nurse' and wrapped his arms around her.

"You and her?" JJ pointed to the two, a sick twisted feeling in settling in her stomach.

The girl just nodded, laughing again.

She was going to throw up. No, she couldn't. She had to stall them. Someone had to come down here eventually, right?

Seth watched the whole scene unfold. It was very amusing to say the least. But time was running short. They had to skip town. "Someone just kill her already and let's go," he muttered turning to walk away. "I'll go start the car."

Nodding in agreement, Doug nodded and followed. JJ swallowed slowly. She could do this, it would be easy enough... Wishful thinking, it could only get you so far.

"You don't have to do this," JJ said, backing away. She anxiously searched through her brain for some sort of solution. Something to stall them, anything... But her heart was pounding so quickly and she was in shock.

"You're an FBI Profiler and that's all you can come up with?" Brandon laughed. "I know we don't have to. It's not a matter of needing to but of wanting to."

"Brandon," she pleaded.

"My name's not Brandon," he said shrugging his shoulders. "And I'm sick of hearing your voice. Now just hold still and I'll get it over with quickly."


	13. Chapter 13

**Oh man you guys! Last chapter! Nice and long for you! :D**

**Hope you like the conclusion!**

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><p>Hotch walked out of the hospital room, making a beeline for the nurses' station. He attempted to control the shaking in his fingers as he straightened his tie. The fear of what had happened to JJ overwhelmed him slightly.<p>

"Excuse me," he said forcefully, catching a nurses' attention. "What happened to the patient in room seven fourteen? Jennifer Jareau? Where is she?"

The young nurse sitting at the computer sighed and said, "I'll look it up, just a moment." She was chewing gum, and popping it in an annoying way that made him want to order her to spit it out. He fixed his tie again, trying to stop the feeling of it choking him. He waited impatiently as she looked through the computer.

"She was admitted an hour and a half ago with a concussion, she's confined to bed rest for a few hours and is ordered to take it easy," the nurse said, popping her gum again.

"But that's the point!" Garcia exclaimed, coming up to the counter. "She's not in her room!"

"And there was evidence of either some sort of struggle or hasty exit," Reid put in.

"What?" the nurse exclaimed. She walked around the counter, heading towards the room they had just vacated. Garcia groaned in frustration. After a few seconds the nurse came running back, saying, "I'll call hospital security and we'll get this figured out!"

"No!" Hotch said forcefully, stopping her. She froze and looked back at him as he pulled out his credentials and showed them to her. "We'll take it from here."

She stared at his credentials, mouth agape for a few seconds, before saying, "Um… Of course."

"So you didn't see anything strange?" Hotch questioned her. "You didn't see her leave?

"No," she said, rubbing her arm. "If any one of us had seen her, we would have stopped her. She was on bed rest."

"Did she have any visitors?" Reid asked quickly.

"No, not that I can think of," she said. There was a few seconds pause, before she suddenly exclaimed, "Wait! Yes she did! There was an older man, really white hair and glasses. He was bringing her flowers!"

"Did you catch a name?" Hotch asked hopefully.

"He was wearing a nametag," she said slowly. Something like Dave or Dan or…"

"Doug!" Reid exclaimed suddenly. "I should have put it together!"

"Thank you for your assistance," Hotch said to the nurse, before leading Reid away slightly. "Who's Doug?"

"When I visited the coffee shop earlier, the one on Eleventh Avenue, there was this guy who started talking to me out of the blue. He seemed interested in my job and said he was willing to listen if I wanted to talk," Reid explained.

"This was the first time you've met him?" Hotch questioned, and Reid nodded.

"And he called me by my first name, too."

"Okay. He has to have something to do with this. Let's each take a different part of the hospital and ask around. We'll see if we can locate him, because JJ will probably be with him."

Reid and Garcia nodded, each claiming a different floor to go and ask around on. Hotch took the stairs down to the third floor, Garcia going down to the second and Reid to the ground floor.

* * *

><p>JJ turned on her heel and ran as fast as she could back into the building. She could hear Gabrielle behind her, screaming, "Come back, you idiot!" JJ could hear her running behind her, and she was prompted to run faster.<p>

She ran into the darkness, moving as fast as she could. She kept hitting her bare feet on things that were scattered along the hallways. She winced each time but kept moving; knowing she probably faced a much worse fate if she was caught.

She turned down a few different hallways, hoping to lose Gabrielle. As she turned into one she could just see off to her left, she paused. She didn't hear the heavy footsteps following her anymore, and she almost sighed in relief. She sank down to the floor and put her head in her hands, trying to force the tears back.

After a minute, she wiped her face off on the hem of the hospital gown and stood back up. Right now she needed to focus on getting out of this basement and getting help. Her eyes were adjusted by now, and she miraculously found herself in the same hallway she had been in before, the one that had the door leading up to the ground floor.

She quickened her pace, the burn on her leg starting to protest a little. She stopped for a brief second to look at it: it had been bandaged up and no doubt been covered in some sort of anti-bacterial paste or something. But it was starting to pang every time she took a step.

Continuing down the hallway, ignoring the twinge in her leg, she moved as quietly as she could. When suddenly she was flying forwards toward the ground for the second time that day. She collided with the floor, and it made her become conscious of a pounding headache.

She began to get back up but was stopped by the pain in her head, which gave a vicious throb every time she moved. She tried again, but as she put her left hand out it landed on something small and hard with a very smooth texture. She picked it up and examined it, discovering that it was Brandon's pocket knife. It must have fallen out of her pocket when she tripped on the wire the first time, and now after tripping a second time she found it again.

Suddenly the footsteps were back behind her, and she heard Gabrielle call, "JJ? Where are you, honey?"

JJ suddenly felt a rush of anger, and she stood up despite her head screaming in protest. She quickly slipped inside a door that was open to her right. She could hear Gabrielle coming closer and closer, taunting her all the way. She heard doors open and close, and gained the satisfaction of knowing that she was checking every room.

Her heart started thudding faster and faster and she came closer. Finally, as she heard a door rather close open, she flicked open the pocket knife and grasped it firmly, preparing herself for whatever might happen. She leaned against the wall next to the door to steady herself.

After a moment, Gabrielle came sauntering in, walking right past her. JJ pushed herself off of the wall and catapulted onto Gabrielle's back. Gabrielle immediately screamed and started fighting back. There was a furious struggle for a few seconds, where the knife Gabrielle was wielding managed to slice a pattern across JJ's forearm. She hissed in pain, and Gabrielle was able to shove her off.

JJ stumbled slightly, again finding the wall to steady herself. For a brief second they made eye contact, before Gabrielle flung herself wildly forwards. JJ managed to grab hold of the arm holding the knife and direct it away from herself. Gabrielle's other hand had found her neck, and the sudden lack of air caused JJ to panic slightly. She thrust the pocket knife still clutched in her hand forward, gasping in relief as it connected with Gabrielle's side and her airway cleared again.

JJ pushed the knife down as hard as she could, causing the tiny stab wound to open into a much larger slash. Gabrielle gasped and slid to the ground. JJ yanked the pocket knife back out of her side, shuddering slightly and wiping the blood off of it.

JJ made eye contact with her again, and almost felt sorry at the pain in her eyes. But she quickly remembered why she was in that position, the anger still coursing through her. She shook her head and walked out of the room, leaving her there for the moment. She would get her help once she was safe.

JJ looked both ways down the hallway, forgetting which way the door was briefly. But she set off to the right, hoping it was the right way. She could tell that the concussion she was nursing was taking its toll on her. She slowly started making her way up the corridor, before a rough voice startled her.

"Hey!" it screamed after her. She whirled around and saw Seth striding up the hall towards her. She stood her ground, waiting for him to catch up, knowing there was no way she could outrun him. He looked almost insane, and dangerous.

He suddenly sprawled on the ground like she did, cursing. She took the opportunity and lunged forwards. She kicked out, getting a rewarding "oomph" in return. She kicked him a few more times before she balled up her fist and punched as hard as she could, connecting with his jawline. He managed to sit up and make his fist connect, sending her head reeling.

She punched out blindly; feeling her fist slam solidly into his nose and feeling it break under her hand. She stood up and kicked out again, watching his head fly back into the very solid wall. He let out a groan before sliding down to the ground, eyes rolling back. She watched for a minute in which he remained still, a small pool of blood beginning to form underneath his head.

She slid back down in a sitting position, again holding her head. Each encounter she had doubled the pain radiating from the base of her skull. But she got up and kept moving. She didn't know how well she had knocked Seth out, and didn't want to be around if he woke up.

She stopped again as for a third time she heard footsteps behind her. She moved into an open room and waited, peering around the dark corner. She saw Doug come into view. He was looking in most areas as he came, and once he came upon Seth he swore and dropped down to his knees. He examined the the man for a few seconds, before looking back up. He didn't seem fazed at all.

After a few more seconds he kept moving, and his attention was caught by a set of double doors off to the side, and he pulled them open. He peered down them for a few seconds before walking through them. JJ quickly found an old broom and shoved it through the handles, effectively trapping him wherever the doors led. She was thankful she didn't have to physically attack him, as she was starting to feel a bit weak.

She dragged herself back down the hallway again, hoping that any other unfriendly people showed up. She managed to reach the foot of the stairs leading up to the main floor, and she was on the verge of walking up them when a loud bang sounded and a bullet whizzed past her right ear.

Whirling around, almost fast enough that she lost her balance, she saw that Brandon had come after her. There was blood on his hands, no doubt from the two colleagues she had already subdued. He had a manic gleam in his eyes as he advanced even further.

"You bitch!" he shrieked at her. "How dare you attack them? How dare you!"

She opened the door closest to her and moved in as fast as she could, hearing another bullet shoot out at her. She felt a sudden searing pain in her calf as she tried closing the door against him. Looking down, she saw that the bullet had grazed her and there was a thin layer of blood beginning to run down her leg. She leaned against the door, barricading herself against the crazy man standing outside. Yet, it was the man she still loved.

"Brandon! Listen to me!" she called tearfully. "You don't have to do this! Just put the gun down and we can talk!"

She heard him laugh darkly before he slammed his entire body weight against the door, causing her already weak legs to give out. She flew backwards, sliding across the floor as he stormed in. He stomped over to her, holding the gun tightly in his hand, staring at her in furious silence.

"It's too late to talk," he said finally, standing over her. "You've lost that privilege."

"Please," she begged, staring up at him. He held pure hatred in his eyes. She didn't understand how six months of her time had been spent with him, and she hadn't seen any of this. A tear rolled down her cheek. "Don't do this."

He laughed cruelly at her. He pointed the gun down at her head. "Say goodbye, Jayje."

* * *

><p>"Anything?" Hotch asked, walking up to the two agents who were talking, gathered on the ground floor.<p>

"The secretary at the front counter says she saw Doug go downstairs," Reid answered grimly, indicating a door behind him.

"Okay, we've got to go check down there," Hotch said firmly. "Garcia, you stay up here and call the rest of the team."

Garcia nodded and pulled out her phone, while Hotch and Reid pulled out their guns. "Should we get vests, just in case?" Reid asked nervously.

"Probably. We don't know what they're capable of," Hotch responded.

"But what if she's in danger right now? What if it would take too long to get to the car and back?" Reid pointed out. Hotch stopped and thought for a few seconds.

But before either of them could do anything, they heard the distinct sound of a gun being fired through the door they were gathered around. Garcia gasped and dropped her phone, it clattering to the ground at their feet.

Reid immediately lunged for the door, yanking it open and running down the stairs. Hotch shouted after him, and sprinted after the young agent.

* * *

><p>Reid hardly had to think about what to do. A little ray of hope had started blooming inside of him when he had found out that Doug had gone downstairs. She was probably just being held down there; they'd get to her in no time. She'd be fine.<p>

Then he called Hotch, told him to come down to the ground floor, told him that he knew where Doug went. He paced nervously in front of the door until Hotch and Garcia made it down. He told them what they knew.

They had pulled out their guns, preparing to storm the basement. He faltered a little bit, thinking of the protection he didn't have wrapped around his chest. But the gunshot made him forget.

It also made that little ray of hope shrivel up and die, like a flower bloomed too early and attacked by frost. It sent something like a bucket of ice water cascading over his insides.

So he reacted without really thinking about it. He immediately ran down the stairs to find her. He had to make sure she was okay. He didn't know what she'd been through, but he knew what it was like to be shot at. This only intensified his desire to get to her side.

Hotch shouted after him, but he ignored it. He didn't think about his own safety at that moment. Only his friends. That seemed to happen to him a lot.

He heard Hotch running after him. As he made it back to level ground, he paused and listened, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness of the basement. Hotch, who was now standing next to him, pulled a flashlight out of his pocked and shined it around, the beam of light illuminating a small patch of hallway.

He listened quietly for a few seconds, hearing a rumble of a male voice. Reid crept towards the open door he heard it coming out of. After a second, he heard another voice that made his anger level rise.

"Please," JJ whimpered. "Don't do this."

Reid reacted immediately. He flew at the door and stood in the doorway, horror spreading as he saw the scene before him. 'Brandon' was standing above a crying JJ, a sneer on his face and gun trained at her forehead. He raised his gun without a second thought. JJ looked up at him just before he took aim and fired.

* * *

><p>JJ looked straight into the barrel of the gun pointed at her head, almost unable to take her eyes away from it. The few tears sitting on her eyelids blurred her vision somewhat.<p>

A sudden noise from off to her left distracted her and she managed to rip her eyes away from the metal contraption in her face. She saw a figure standing in the door, and she watched as it raised a gun and pulled the trigger.

Brandon immediately jerked and fell, landing on top of her. The wound on her leg screamed in protest as his elbow made contact with it.

She breathed a sigh of relief as the figure from the door took away the pressure of her attacker. She wiped her eyes, allowing her vision to clear up.

"Spence?" she asked, grabbing at his arms, which were helping her sit up.

"Yeah. I told you I was coming to get you," he smiled at her. She laughed and threw her arms around him.

"Thank you," she said, now crying in happy tears. Relieved that her nightmare was finally over.

He pulled away and handed her his pair of handcuffs. She gave him a curious look as she wiped her eyes again. "I figured you might want to be the one to cuff him." He nodded over at Brandon, who was holding onto his wounded leg for dear life. Hotch was now holding his gun and glaring at him from the doorway.

She smiled and used Reid's help to stand up, walking over to the wounded man. She jerked his hands behind his back, securing them tighter than necessary. "Brandon Waters, or whatever your real name is, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. So shut the hell up," she sneered at him. He just glared at nothing in particular.

A sudden thud and groan of pain came from the doorway, and she and Reid both whipped their heads around just in time to see Hotch land a solid punch to Seth's already broken nose. Seth whirled around and fell to the ground, where Hotch trained his gun on him.

Hotch wiped off the corner of his mouth, which had split open where Seth had attacked him. Then he secured Seth's arms with his own pair of hand cuffs.

JJ smiled again. "Hotch," she said, gaining the team leaders attention. "There's another man named Doug trapped in a room down the hallway, and a woman named Gabrielle with a severe wound to her abdomen in a room a bit farther down."

"I was right! Doug was involved!" Reid exclaimed. JJ looked at him, bewildered.

"You know who he is?" she asked.

"Yeah, he started talking to me in that coffee shop on Eleventh Avenue," Reid explained.

"That's where he met me too!" JJ said. "He said I looked worried, and I talked to him about how I was on my way to the hospital for my boyfriend's knee surgery," JJ explained, glaring over at the panting and cuffed man.

"He tried to talk to me about work," Reid said, nodding.

"How did the woman get the wound?" Hotch asked, a corner of his mouth tugging upwards.

JJ picked up the pocket knife from where it had flown out of her hand and flicked it open, grinning.

"Remind me to never get you angry," Reid said, eyeing the blade.

The next second, a blur of color came bursting past Hotch. Garcia flung herself at JJ, hugging her tightly. "Garcia," JJ said in a muffled voice. "I'm okay. Just a few cuts and bruises."

"I am so sorry for not believing you!" Garcia said, lip quivering a little. "I had all the information I needed if I had only looked him up!"

"It's fine," JJ said soothingly.

"Garcia, did you call the others?" Hotch asked, interrupting the moment.

"Yes sir, They're on their way over now," Garcia answered. She shivered slightly as she looked over at the two handcuffed men, sending them the fiercest glare she could muster.

"Can we please leave this basement?" JJ asked. "I've had enough of it to last a lifetime."

"Of course," Hotch said, walking over and dragging Seth to his feet. Reid walked over and did the same with Brandon. JJ was helped up by Garcia, who supported her out the door and up the stairs. As she emerged back into the light of the hospital, she took a deep breath.

She looked over to Brandon, who had a scowl on his face and remained silent. He was going to go to jail. That thought made her smile again.

"Garcia?" she asked, gaining the tech analysts attention.

"Yeah Jayje?"

"The next boyfriend I get, you're running a background check on him."

"Believe me my beautiful blonde bombshell, I'm planning to. You want me to or not."


End file.
